Civics Academy
The St. Cloud Area Chamber, in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, offers Civics Academy to help members build critical workplace and civic skills. This nonpartisan initiative prepares participants to engage meaningfully in their communities and succeed at work.
Through Civics Academy, employees hone crucial life skills that translate to the modern workplace, such as problem solving, active listening, collaboration, teamwork, critical thinking, and working with people from different backgrounds and ideologies. Informed and active citizens make for strong communities, a strong economy, and a strong workforce. Through Civics Academy, employers can take meaningful steps to strengthen the infrastructure of American democracy at the local level, while investing in a more supportive, collaborative, and productive workforce.
Designed for learners of all experience levels, the course equips employees with the knowledge and skills to become more informed and engaged citizens while strengthening essential workplace competencies such as: problem solving, active listening, collaboration, teamwork, and critical thinking.
The next Civics Academy Cohort begins on October 12th! Register by October 9th and give your team the tools to get involved and make an impact.
Why is Civics Academy important?
Our economic and political systems are intricately linked. The prosperity of business depends on a stable, predictable political environment. Civics Academy is designed to increase stability. Through this initiative, employers foster greater civility, reduce polarization, strengthen American democracy, and meaningfully engage with their local communities. Participating employees hone crucial skills that translate to the modern workplace, such as collaboration, problem solving, critical thinking, and working with people from different backgrounds and ideologies.
How does Civics Academy work?
Civics Academy reintroduces employees to the basics of civics and critical workplace skills through an online self-guided course and in-person experiential learning activities.
Online Learning Platform
The online course reintroduces employees to the basics of civics, empowering them to learn more about how our government works and how they can meaningfully participate in civic life. Each module pairs relevant civics topics with complementary workplace skills, providing employees with an opportunity to understand the important relationship between their civic and workplace identities. Through six self-paced modules, participants explore:
- Foundations of Federalism: How Power is Shared in the United States
- Government in Action: Branches, Power, and Public Debate
- Citizenship: Rights, Responsibilities, and Participation
- Civic Engagement: Taking Action in Your Community
- Civil Discourse: Communicating Across Differences
- Navigating Your Local Civic Landscape
Experiential Learning Opportunities
In addition to online learning, Civics Academy equips employers to put course themes into practice.
Civic Day of Action transforms learning into action by giving employees the opportunity to put their Civics Academy training into practice through hands-on community service. Whether volunteering as a team or individually, participants strengthen their communities while demonstrating the power of turning civic learning into meaningful action. Volunteer matching platforms help employees find opportunities that fit their skills, interests, and local needs.
The Civics Academy Championship is an optional experiential learning component of the Civics Academy. It is an online or in-person trivia competition that brings employees together to celebrate their hard work and foster some friendly competition.
The Civic Trust
Civics Academy is a program of The Civic Trust, a U.S. Chamber of Commerce initiative. The Civic Trust is a nonpartisan educational initiative focused on elevating civics as a national priority with programs that advance and promote civic knowledge in schools, workplaces, and communities. Learn more here
